Within traditional advertising campaigns for goods and services, coupons and similar promotional content are often used as an effective way to get potential customers interested. They attract customers toward the content provider due to a discount on a particular product or service, with the end result being a sale and potentially future sales. The customer may also spread word about the ongoing promotional campaign to family and friends within his network, causing buzz or word of mouth sales to organically occur. In some promotional campaigns, this customer can receive further discounts or incentives for referring people within his network.
The potential for sharing and referrals has been much greater since online social networks and social applications have gained prominence. Whereas traditional print campaigns often had a limited scope of referrals and word of mouth, social media ad campaigns can have a vast reach in a short span of time. Individuals who are major social influencers can vastly impact the spread of the promotional content.
However, there is limited ability for promoters to control promotional campaigns that rely on referrals and social sharing.